Schmidt: I hope today's verdict will help survivors and victims' families find at least some peace

(Patria) - High Representative Christian Schmidt commented on the final verdict in the case of Jovica Stanišić and Franko Simatović, which, as he assessed, is the last major verdict of the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Courts.

"I hope that this verdict will help survivors and victims' families find at least some peace and solace after the horrors they experienced during the nineties.

This verdict fulfills the mandate of the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Courts, which relates to the prosecution of cases of the gravest crimes committed on the territory of the former Yugoslavia.

 

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However, this cannot mean that those who committed these crimes, and who have not yet been tried, will go unpunished. We must ensure that domestic courts effectively prosecute remaining war crimes cases.

The prosecution of cases before judicial institutions is also in the interest of society as a whole. It is necessary to establish historical facts, which will enable the truth to be told, opposing narratives to be rejected, and reconciliation to be fostered," Schmidt said.